A new report from the Council on Criminal Justice confirms what many Americans have already felt in their neighborhoods: crime is down — and in a big way. What the report doesn’t explicitly say, however, is what’s driving the shift. The answer is clear — President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies are working. The data proves it: real leadership and the rule of law are making America safer.
Homicides dropped by 17% nationwide in the first half of 2025 compared to the same time last year. Gun assaults fell 21%, robberies by 20%, and carjackings plunged by 24%. Even property crimes like burglary and larceny experienced double-digit declines. These aren’t just numbers — they represent safer streets, stronger communities, and lives saved.
At the same time, ICE arrests have skyrocketed, with immigration enforcement doubling in cities like Sacramento and jumping more than 500% across California. Nationwide, over 300,000 illegal immigrants have been detained so far in 2025 — including violent offenders, gang members, and repeat criminals. This is not political posturing. This is law enforcement in action, finally empowered to do its job.
The message is simple: when the law is enforced consistently, crime goes down. The dramatic drop in violence without the passage of any new legislation proves we didn’t need new laws — we needed the will to apply the ones we already had.
For years, conservative Americans have warned that lawlessness — whether from career criminals or criminal illegal aliens — erodes public safety. President Trump understood this long before returning to office, and now he’s showing the country that border security and community safety go hand in hand.
Under the newly enacted UPLIFT Act (H.R. 1680), sanctuary cities are now required to work with federal immigration authorities — ending the era of local governments shielding dangerous individuals from accountability. Cities should never serve as safe havens for violent offenders just to score political points.
Critics say this crackdown is “harsh.” What’s actually harsh is allowing drug smugglers, human traffickers, and cartel operatives to operate freely in American cities out of fear of offending liberal sensibilities. That’s not justice. That’s negligence.
In states like Texas, immigration arrests are up 92%. In Florida, they’ve surged by 219%. These are not minor offenses. Many arrested individuals have extensive criminal records and are no longer free to harm American families.
While left-wing politicians downplay the surge in crime under their watch, the results of President Trump’s leadership are undeniable. Families in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami are seeing their neighborhoods calm for the first time in years. Parents no longer have to worry about their children walking through drug-riddled streets to get to school.
The Council on Criminal Justice even found that violent crime is now lower than it was in 2019, before the pandemic and the nationwide calls to defund police departments. While progressive leaders spent five years demonizing law enforcement, Trump stood with our officers. Now, Americans are reaping the benefits of that support.
Let’s be clear: the crime wave of the early 2020s was fueled by the Biden-era border disaster and sanctuary city policies that let thousands of dangerous individuals disappear into the population. But that era is over. President Trump’s administration is bringing accountability back to immigration enforcement — and restoring public safety in the process.
As Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott put it: “The biggest reason we’re seeing that massive reduction is because people are being held accountable — and quickly removed from the United States.”
President Trump made a promise to secure the border, uphold the law, and protect American families. Today, the numbers — and the lived experience of everyday Americans — show he’s delivering.
The bottom line? Law and order is back. And America is safer because of it.
Brett L. Tolman is a former U.S. Attorney and Executive Director of Right on Crime.
Ja’Ron K. Smith is Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.
